Slizer/Throwbots is a subtheme of TECHNIC that was first released in early 1999. They were known as Throwbots in the United States and as Slizers in Europe and Australia. Nine of the sets in this theme also had different names in these locations. The theme was discontinued in favour of the RoboRiders theme.[source?]

Contents

Description

While LEGO has used ball joints in the past, the Slizers were the first LEGO figures to use ball joints for articulation and movement. Each Throwbot/Slizer had at least one disk arm, which could throw a disk when pulled back and released, and most had a screw-and-gear configuration that allowed movement of the head. The design of their feet would later be reused in BIONICLE in a similar fashion (though not for the Toa).

The Throwing Discs

Each Slizer/Throwbot has one to six throwing discs that match one of its colours. The discs depict the Slizer/Throwbot or their surroundings in some form, doing something. These pictures, especially those of the last four Slizers/Throwbots, can be confusing to interpret. On the left portion of the grey metallic picture frame is a wider frame section made up of eight lights, either green, yellow, or deactivated. However, Millennium/Millennia has nine lights on its single disc. It is unknown what these lights represent officially, but it possibly could represent the discs' power levels. All Slizers/Throwbots, with the exception of Flare, Millennium/Millennia, and Blaster, have six discs depicting the following.

Two green lights: A large grey carving/cutout/symbol of their "element"/home. Behind the symbol is a scene of their home.

Fire/Torch: A carving of a flame before a wall of fire. Element is Fire.

Ice/Ski: A carving a snowflake, in front of a snow-covered landscape. Element is Ice.

City/Turbo: A carving of a city skyline, in front of a city. Element appears to be Technology/Metal.

Sub/Scuba: A carving of a water droplet, underwater, with the sun shining behind. Element is Water.

Judge/Jet: A carving of seven arrows pointing in different directions, in front of a yellow-and-black striped wall. Element appears to be either Air or simply Gas in general.

Jungle/Amazon: A carving of a leaf, in a jungle. Element is Flora/Plants.

Rock/Granite: A carving of a mountain, in front of a desert landscape. Element is Earth.

Energy/Electro: A carving of a lightning bolt, within a lightning storm. Element is Electricity/Lightning.

Three green lights: The Slizer/Throwbot, in its usual habitat, is throwing a disc at the viewer of the picture.

Fire/Torch: Throwing a flaming disc, while walking in a lava lake.

Ice/Ski: Throwing a disc, while skiing downhill.

City/Turbo: Throwing a disc, while emerging from an underground sewer.

Sub/Scuba: Throwing a disc, while stepping forward, underwater.

Judge/Jet: Throwing two discs, while flying in space.

Jungle/Amazon: Throwing a disc, in a swamp.

Rock/Granite: Throwing a disc, while standing on the edge of a cliff.

Energy/Electro: Throwing a disc, while flying within a lightning storm.

Spark: Throwing a disc towards the sky while firing white energy beams from its energy zapper in a slightly different direction, within a narrow canyon.

Four green lights: The Slizer/Throwbot is traveling using its carrying case as a vehicle.

Fire/Torch: Escaping from small, living fire-comets shooting out of volcanic craters.

Ice/Ski: Traveling within an ice cave, breaking a column.

Sub/Scuba: Traveling into an underwater canyon, with a shark above and what appears two be a squid outside. (It also might be noted that Sub/Scuba's case is a different color than it was on the set.)

City/Turbo: Flying up towards the sky, after traveling beneath a bridge.

Judge/Jet: Traveling in space with at least five other carrying cases traveling in the background. The four carrying cases that are clearly shown are of Fire/Torch, Ice/Ski, Sub/Scuba, Jungle/Amazon, and Energy/Electro. A dark black planet is in the background, and the six Slizers/Throwbots are flying away from it.

Jungle/Amazon: Traveling through a swamp, snapping a vine.

Rock/Granite: Flying across the sky, breaking a tall rock formation.

Energy/Electro: Escaping from a monster composed of lightning.

Spark: The asteroid impacting Planet Slizer/the Throwbots Planet.

Five green lights: The Slizer/Throwbot is using one or more of their special powers.

Fire/Torch: Making a canal for living lava using its fire hand.

Ice/Ski: Skiing into an icy spike-trap.

City/Turbo: Jumping over a city wall, with two spotlights above

Sub/Scuba: Transformed, creating a whirlpool around a creature with at least two green tentacles.

Judge/Jet: Firing an energy beam at another Slizer/Throwbot from its right hand in a battle.

Jungle/Amazon: Swinging on a vine, chopping down a tree.

Rock/Granite: Producing an energy shield from its hand, protecting itself from an avalanche.

Rock/Granite: Meeting a large skull-shaped monster composed of rock, with red lights, possibly eyes, in its eye sockets.

Energy/Electro: Being electrocuted by a monster resembling a tornado

Blaster: Charging the viewer, with what look like at least five other silhouettes of Blaster behind.

Seven green lights : What the Slizer/Throwbot tries to find to become more powerful.

Fire/Torch: Diamonds to increase the power of its fire hand

Ice/Ski: Ice crystals.

City/Turbo: Fuel to increase its speed.

Sub/Scuba: Pearls to help it breathe underwater. In the picture, the pearl is being held by a tentacle.

Rock/Granite: Plasma. In the picture, it is shown as a river of plasma at the base of cliffs.

Jungle/Amazon: Unknown, perhaps a special tree sap.

Energy/Electro: Atom-like object to help it absorb more energy from lightning storms.

Blaster: Blaster, with two standing flares beside it, and what appears to be an explosion behind.

Eight green lights:

Judge/Jet: Solar Radiation

Millennium/Millennia: The Slizer/Throwbot planet with a light coming out of the judge dome.

Nine green lights:

Millennium/Millennia: Throwing a disc at the viewer of the picture, in motorcycle form.

Background

Two variations of the storyline existed; the North American and European versions respectively, each with different names for the characters and settings.

In the "Multiple Planets" storyline, the Slizers had eight respective planets where each of the eight dwelled respectively: the Fiery Wasteland, the Aquatic World, the Overgrown Jungle, the Icy Mountains, the Industrial City, the Stormy Fields, and the Rocky Canyons. The eighth planet, the Judge Dome, served as a dueling ground or a place to settle disputes. Each of them battled the native mutant wildlife and other threats to their planet. It is debated whether or not this story diverged into the following "Singular Planet" storyline.[source?]

The "Singular Planet" storyline was that there were eight robots fighting a war against each other on one planet split into seven even continents/regions—with the Slizer Dome situated at the North Pole. In this storyline, some have gone to some lengths to say that there were two sides: four were "good" (Fire, Ice, City and Sub), and the other four were "evil" (Judge, Jungle, Rock and Energy).[source?] The concept of facing their respective natural threats in their zones were present, with the inclusion that each of them was trying to find an additional mineral, fuel or other item to make themselves stronger, such as: "Lava Stones" (Fire), "Air Pearls" (Sub), "Ice Crystals" (Ice), "Power Fuel" (City), "Herbal Treesap" (Jungle), "Liquid-Plasma" (Rock), and "Electric Radiation" (Energy). The last power-up for Judge is unknown.

In either storyline, all the characters were evenly matched. Both stories reached a climax when a meteor struck the Slizer Planet and blew apart half the planet, annihilating the Energy, Rock, and Jungle Regions, and heavily damaging the Judge Dome where the Judge Slizer resided. In the North American Throwbots storyline, how this could have happened if there were eight different planets is unknown.

The 2000 Slizer/Throwbots story was never explained fully, which left dedicated fans with many unanswered questions.

Planet characters

The Slizers/Throwbots lived on Continents (Europe and Australia storyline) or on Planets (North American storyline). In total, there are eight Continents/Planets that the Slizer/Throwbots robots inhabited:

The Slizer Planet.

The Fire Continent - Torch Continent - Torch Planet
This Continent/Planet is composed of solid and molten volcanic rock. Many volcanoes are also present, spewing hot gases into the air. The Fire/Torch Continent/Planet is therefore the warmest of all of the Slizer/Throwbot Continents/Planets.
Known inhabitants include living molten rock and monsters completely composed of fire.

The Ice Continent - Ski Continent - Ski Planet
This Continent/Planet is completely covered with snow and the occasional lake or river. Mountain ranges and ice caves are common. The Ice/Ski Continent/Planet is the coldest of all the Slizer/Throwbot Continents/Planets.
Known inhabitants include monsters completely composed of ice/snow.

The City Continent - Turbo Continent - Turbo Planet
This Continent/Planet is mostly covered with modern and futuristic buildings and structures one may find in a large urban area. Skyscrapers and road bridges are common. The Continent/Planet contains business, industrial, and residential areas.
Known inhabitants include a large, living tanker truck and living, green industrial slime.

The Sub Continent - Scuba Continent - Scuba Planet
This Continent/Planet is almost entirely covered with water. Below the surface, there are many canyons and hills.
Known inhabitants include aquatic plants, jellyfish, a plesiosaur-like animal, and sharks.

The Judge Continent - Jet Continent - Jet Planet
This Continent, which is also the smallest Continent, is mainly the stadium in which the Slizers/Throwbots compete. It looks like an urban industrial area, with large spaces resembling parking lots or helicopter pads. Metallic-looking pyramids are also seen in some images of the Continent. This continent is located at one of the points where the other seven Continents meet.
No confirmed natural inhabitants, but a strange net-like being made of energy appears in one image. In the multiple planet version of the story, the jet planet is a gaseous planet, with the same features as the Judge/Jet Continent.

The Jungle Continent - Amazon Continent - Amazon Planet
This Continent/Planet is entirely covered with jungle and swamp. The plants can vary greatly in height, as the Continent/Planet is green wherever one may be. Many vines are also available for swinging from one place to another.
Known inhabitants include the many plants that grow on the Continent/Planet. Notable plants include a tree whose nicks and cracks on its trunk resemble a face (with red glow coming from the “eyes”) and a large carnivorous plant.

The Rock Continent - Granite Continent - Granite Planet
This Continent/Planet is a rocky desert, very similar to Mars in appearance. There are occasional rivers of water and fluidic plasma.
Known inhabitants include a large skull-shaped rock with a red glow coming from its “eyes”.

The Energy Continent - Electro Continent - Electro Planet
The frequency of lightning storms in this Continent/Planet make the sky and ground seem a purplish colour from a distance. Tornadoes also occasionally form.
Known inhabitants include a monster completely composed of electricity and a living tornado.

Comics

Three comics were known - one which showed the respective Functions of the respective Slizer/Throwbot, one that pictured the Slizer/Throwbot battling in the Slizer dome, and one showing the battle between Robotops and Ultrarex.

Notes

They are also known for their two-toed feet, which resulted in the pieces being affectionately named "Throwbot foot/toes" by the fan community.[source?]

BIONICLE had a throwing disc function similar to the Slizer disc throw function. This function was first used in the McDonald's Tohunga sets, then again in many 2004 sets with the addition of a disc launcher system.